Improved pyrotechnic night-signals



a. A. ,LILLIENDAHL;

Pyrotechnic Signal.

. Patented Apr. 5, 1859.

In nvziar K 194 @4466 UNITED, STATES GUSTAVU'S A. LILLIENDhi-IL, on NEWYORK,-N.- Y., ASSIGNOR TOMARTHAJQ PATENT Orrrcla.

COSTON, OF WASHINGTON CITY, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IM PROVED PYROTECl-l mo NIGHT-SIGNALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 223,529, dated April 5,1859,

To all whom it may concern.-

. Be it known that'I, GIfs'rAvUs ATLILLIEN DAHL, of the oity,'county,and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsinB. Franklin Oostons Sys-' 'tem of Pyrotechnic Night-Signals,'and alsoin the means and appliances of producing said signals; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full and exact description thereof,reference being'had to the accompanying drawings on Sheets 1 and 2,which constitute a portion of this specification.

v Figure 1 on Sheet 1 represents the 'exter-' nal appearance of one ofmy improved cases of pyrotechnic composition. .Fig. 2 on said sheet is alongitudinal section' representingthe interior structure of theparticular case that bears the mark of the character 0;

and Fig. 3 on th'esaid sheet is a representa tion of the size and shapeof a sheet of tinfoil and a sheet of -thin paper placed in the properrelative positions'with each other tobe rolled upon a mandrel and unitedby paste into one of my improved tubular cases for the reception ofpyrotechnic"composition, the

- in-foil to project above the paper portion of said case a sufficientdistance to form when bent inward a protecting water-proof covering forthe upper stratum of the aforesaid co osition. Sheet 2 reveals ataglance the meaning of each signal-fire or succession of fires that canbe produced by the burning of the contents of any one ofni yimpro-vedcases of mm technic composition.

Practical tests have demonstratedthat the method of putting up thepyrotechnic materials employed in the Ooston system of maknightsignalsis liable to the following obfires produced by the combustion of saidlayers of composition do not change quickly and distinctly from one toanother; and. itn'ot unfrequently happens that the direct contact ofdifferentlayeis of pyrotechnic composition exerts an injurious chemicalinfluence upon: I

one or both of said layers. Myimp'roved method of putting up thematerials for producing pyrotechnic signal-fires perfectly remedies allof the above-mew tioned imperfections in the Coston method of puttingup'said materials.-

The tubular cases a b employed by 'me are all made of the samelength-viz., a length I that enables three layers to r g of pyrotechniccomposition, and .a bottom layer. fof some non combustible compositionto be com pressed into each case and then leave an open socket in thebottom thereof. Therefore all those cases which are to be respectivelycharged withbut one or two layers of pyrotechnic composition must in thefirst place have varying quantities of non-combustible compositionpressed into them for the purpose of leaving the proper amount of spacein the upper portion of each case for the reception :of its respectivecharge of pyrotechnic composition.

The sectional drawings 0 on Sheet 2 clearly represent the proportions ofcombustible and noncombustible materials that compose the respectivecharges of the aforesaid cases, and

also' the color ofthe particular fire or fires which willbe produced bythe combustion of the layer or respective layers 'ofthe pyrotechniccomposition in each .of said cases;

The non-combustible portion of the contents of the cases is paintedblack;

A thin disk of pape: e, which has a short strip (1 of quick-matchinserted in a cen ral aperture therein", is placed between therespective layers of pyrotechnic composition in each case that ischarged with two or three layers of said cornpositiom and over the layerof pyrotechnic composition in the upper end of every one of the cases adisk is placed which has a quick-match e passing up through an aperturetherein, that is protected by the .port-ion of .tin-foilb', which risesabove the paperportion' of thesides of each of said cases and is pressedinward upon the said upper disk thereof, substantially as repre-'tinctly have substituted a green fire for the blue fire sented in thedrawings on Sheet 1. A strong protecting-socket of suitable size, whichhas a short mandrel at the bottom of the same, receives each tubularcase a 1) during the operation of charging the same beneath a follower,which is operated by means of powerful leverage.

My improved cases of pyrotechnic composition may be painted andvarnished for the purpose of preserving the paper portion of each case.

The socket at the bottom of each of my improved cases of pyi atechniccomposition enables them to be readily placed upon the end of a handle,by which the said cases can be held in any desired position at the timeof firing the contents of the same.

The aforesaid improved cases (for the reception of various pyrotechniccompositions for the production of signal-fires) being composed of thinpaper and tin-foil, no one of said cases contains a sufiicient quantityof paper to produce any perceptible discoloration of the atmosphereabout the same while the said case and its contents are being consumed.The tin-foil portion of said cases will of course melt down out of theway as rapidly as the contents of the cases are reduced by combustion.The case to be fired having been placed upon a suitable handle orholder,

- the tin-foil can be easily removed from the match e of said case forthe purpose of applying fire thereto. The instant that the fire reachesthe pyrotechnic composition the combustion which will ensue willinstantly throw oif the disk and the tin-foil covering" from saidcomposition and allow it to burn freely. In those cases which arecharged with two and three separated layers of composition the fire willcommunicate from an upper to a lower layer thereof by means of the matchd, which descends through the separating-disk c, and the instant thatthe said lower tratnin of composition is fired the aforesaid disk 0 andeveryth 1g above it will be thrown olf, thereby produeinga clear,distinct, and palpas ble transition from the fire produced by an upperstratum of composition in a case to that which succeeds it, and so on tothe fire produced by the last stratum of composition in a case.

Having discovered by my experiments that a green pyrotechnic fire can beseen more disat a great distance than a blue fire, I

which is employed in the Coston system of night-signals. I have alsomade a more systematic arrangement of the materials in the several casesfor the three signal-fires employed in my improved system of displayingnight-signalsviz., in such a manner that the first color of asignal-fire will direct the attention of the observer to a particularportion of the signal-chart for the signification of said fire, eitherby itself or when taken in connection with the fire or fires that mayimmediately succeed the same.

The three first numerals l 2 3 are expressed as follows: No. 1, byasingle white fire; No. 2, by a white fire changing to a red fire; No.3, by a white fire changing to a green fire. The three succeedingnumerals i 5 6 are expressed in the following manner: No. 4, by a single.red'fire; No. 5, by a red fire changing to a white fire; No. 6, by ared fire changing to a green fire. The three succeeding numerals 7 S 9are expressed as follows: N 0. 7, bya single green fire; No. S, by agreen fire changing to a white fire; No. 9, bya green fire changing to ared fire. The character 0 is expressed by a white fire followed iniminediate succession by a red fire and then a green fire. A white firefollowed in immediate succession by a red fire and then a white fire,produced by burning the contents of the case which is marked" I,indicates that the .vessel or person exhibiting said signal is desirousto communicate with some other vessel or person by signals, and a redfire followed in immediate succes sion by a white fire and then a redfire, produced by burning the case marked A, is the answer to theaforesaid signal, expressing a readiness to answer signal by signal.

Having thus fully described my improvements on B. Franklin Costonssystem of pyr'o-' technic night-signals, and also in the means andappliances for producing the same, what I claim therein as my invention,and desir to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Inclosing the necessary charges of pyrotechnic composition forproducing signalfires within cases whose sides are composed of thinpaper and tin-foil, substantially as herein set forth.

2. Separating the respective layers of composition in theabove-mentioned cases by means of thin partitions or disks,substantially as herein set forth.

3. Charging the aforesaid cases with such proportions of combustible andnon-combustible materials as will allow the cases to be all made of thesame length, and also enable a socket tobe formed at the lower end ofeach of said cases, substantially as herein set forth. 4. Soproportioning the paper and tin-foil portions of the aforesaid casesthat a sulficient portion of the tinfoil will project above the stiffsides of each of said cases to form when bent inward a metalliccoveringior the top of the same, substantially as herein set forth. f

The above specification of my improvements in pyrotechnicnight-signalssigned and witnessed this 1st day of February, 1855).

G. A. LILLIENDAIIL.

\Vitnesses:

Z. O. ROBBINS, J. QUINCY ADAMS.

